From ‘click next’ to digital critical thinking

Tom Smith

From ‘click next’ to digital critical thinking

School of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Digital professional military education (PME) promises flexibility, rich engagement and new efficiencies in a world of permanently pressured workloads. Yet anyone who has endured the latest mandatory “click next” training package will be cynical about those promises – not least officer cadets trying to finish online modules late at night after a full day of varied training and exercises.

The RAF’s Air and Space Power Course at RAF College Cranwell offers a useful case study of how “modern” digital PME can be reshaped into something that genuinely supports thinking, not just completion statistics.

Original language	English
Journal	RUSI Journal
Publication status	Accepted for publication - 18 Dec 2025

Keywords

Professional Military Education
Training
Digital
Blended Learning
Defence
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Embargoed Document

From ‘click next’ to digital critical thinking
Accepted author manuscript (Post-print), 126 KB
Due to publisher’s copyright restrictions, this document is not freely available to download from this website until: 1/01/50

Cite this

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KW - Professional Military Education

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KW - Digital

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ER -

From ‘click next’ to digital critical thinking

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Embargoed Document

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Cite this